Its parish council claimed the development, south of a property known as Bolney, was within its area with an up to date Neighbourhood Plan in place which did not identify the area for new homes.
Several member of the Dorset Council area planning committee were sympathetic to the view – but the Wyatt Homes application was approved after an hour-long debate on a 4-3 vote.
Other concerns about the site included a potential conflict with another, larger, roundabout close to the existing one on the town bypass with a bus stop and pedestrian crossing points all in the same area.
Complaints were made during the meeting that more than thirty trees and hedgerows had been grubbed out before Protection Orders could be put in place, although planning officers said they would be replaced as part of the consent.
Resident Martin Richley said he was disappointed that all the social housing flats were being placed at the entrance to the site, just off the main road, while the larger homes were further away. He said the design smacked of segregation, not integration, which Government housing policies aimed for.
Tim Hoskinson, the Wyatt homes planning director, said the plot had not been in the company’s control when the larger plan, for 490 homes in the immediate area, had been agreed, with many of them likely to be occupied next year. He said the acquisition of the site would not only add to the number of homes, but also improve accessibility into the larger site.
He promised that the scheme would offer ‘generous landscaping with street trees’ with all the homes fitted out to a high standard including heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points as well as good insulation, including triple glazing for the flats nearest the main road.
Peter Slocombe from Pimperne parish council said the site was not in Blandford, but Pimperne where the Neighbourhood Plan sought to maintain the site as a significant gap between the parish and the build-up area of Blandford.
He said the new roundabout would be a recipe for accidents, putting pedestrians at risk and said the parish plan sought 40per cent ‘affordable’ homes, not the 30% being offered.
Illustration – Proposed layout for the Bolney site
Location
Street scenes
Housing types
Location showing the house, Bolney
(Planning reference – 2024/06927)